Early Meaning of Goth
Looking back into history, Goths were originally a tribe of people who settled into Central Europe from the Gotar tribe of Sweden in around the 3rd Century. The Goths settled in two different regions, the Ostrogoths around what is now the former Yugoslav Republics & modern day Ukraine. The Visigoths in, what’s now, modern day Germany. The Visigoths soon gained a reputation for being a barbaric tribe who where feared & were continually in battle with, or invading other tribes and Empires, also fighting around the eastern fringes of the Roman Empire around the River Danube.

The Gothic Subculture
The evolution of Gothic as an alternative lifestyle, or subculture, has its roots going back to the 12th-17th Centuries. During this time Art, Literature, Poetry & Music all played an important part of life, with themes such as pain, inner-pain & torment, love or the lack/loss of it, a sense of foreboding, darkness and mysteriousness being popular.

This continued into Victorian times, with the lifestyle evolving further as a certain grouping of like minded people delved further into the darker side of life and human nature. Popular topics of discussion were the unexplainable (ghosts, poltergeists, the paranormal), the occult, Vampirism & the existence of Vampires, Werewolves and the like. Also explored by this group was an interest in the more erotic & seedier side to sex [I wouldn’t say that it would have been talked about openly, but there was undertones of fetishism & erotic pleasure in certain aspects of the culture of the time]. Also popular was like of, what one would best describe as “freak circuses” [shows of the unusual & abnormal people – the bearded lady, contortionists, midgets etc.]

To many a Victorian, those topics were seen as unsavoury & considered taboo and even amongst the followers of the newly emerging culture, there was a preference to the more “romantic” side of things, though still seen to be too dark, to be deemed healthy, by mainstream Victorian society.

In the Gothic Culture of today, many of the themes & topics of the past are still relevant & form part peoples believes & interests, but there is much diversity within the individuals that make up that Culture. The Gothic Culture is no different, here I will try to illustrate some of the easily identifiable features of the main types, these are, by no means exclusive or exhaustive & many Goths may not like or identify with all of these or indeed, may identify with features of the other types of Goth.

The Romantic Goth
The Romantic Goth is generally considered the ‘Traditional’ or ‘Old School’ Goth and often referred to as the Victorian Goth as well. They base their attitude & lifestyle round love & romance, taking the ideals from the 80’s New Romantic scene as well as the Victorian era Goths. Typically they will also enjoy art & literature, old poetry and have a love of architecture. These types of activities tend to be rather solitary past times, which lead to the common misconception that Goths are not social creatures, this is in fact not the case and they will enjoy sharing their views with like minded people.

This type of Goth likes to live life quietly & without fuss. They will look after and take care of people in need if required to and will generally do things because they are the right thing to do, also doing them without looking for praise or reward. They are also able to immerse themselves in activities & philosophies out with those of mainstream society & are very comfortable being part of and apart from society.

The Pagan Goth
Pagan Goths can easily identify with the core beliefs of the Romantic Goth but will also tended to be interested in the Celtic roots & history the occult, some like to follow The Wiccan or Pagan beliefs, others like the old Magyar or Romany traditions. Many also like Norse Mythology, Odinism etc.

The Fetish Goth & Cyber Goth
The Fetish Goth will tend have an interest in S&M, bondage, spanking and enjoy exploring the ‘kinky’ side of sex. A like of biting & blood will feature as well (back to the Vampire Imagery of Victorian times).

The Cyber Goth may or may not be as interested in participating in the bondage side of things, but they like the imagery of the whips and chains etc. Cyber Goths will also probably have a love of modern technology such as computers, the internet and have a more sci-fi approach to things, being interested in Artificial Intelligence & Cyborgs, rather than a historical view. While it is important to remember the past, Cyber Goths realise that we have to embrace the present & the future to survive. [See also Cyber in the Industrial section below.]

Mittelälter
Mittelrälter [Middle Ages] Originating from Germany, this term is used to describe a grouping of bands, which have an interested in the Middle Ages, it's legends and folklore as well as it's music It is not really part of the Goth Culture nor strictly speaking is it a culture as such, but it attracts interest from people who are Goth, New Age, Pagan & Neo-pagan.

Common themes are those of ancient mythologies [Norse, Celtic, Medieval, and Renaissance], Legends and Folklore and how people lived & their beliefs. It is of interest to Goths and those who would not consider themselves Goth, for example Pagans. These themes are very much reflected in the music through bands like Faun, Schandmaul, Corvus Corax and Tanzwut; all of whom base songs on [Medieval] Folk music as well as the mythology & legends of the time. Paganism is also covered and Faun also play folk songs based on ancient Norse Mythology & Legends as well as Celtic Folklore, Renaissance Folklore & legends.

Another common factor of these bands, is the use of various period instruments [such as: Clairsach or Celtic Harp, Lyre, Lute, Hurdy Gurdy Organ, Flute, Nyckelharpa or Swedish Harp, Violin, Bagpipes to name a few] with Bass guitars, Electric & Acoustic Guitars & Synths, Samples & computer generated music to produce a sound both distinctive & enjoyed by varied groups of people.

Whichever way you wish to look, being Goth is a lifestyle. It is about living your life to certain ideals & beliefs, it is a mindset and it is something you are and embrace. Dressing a certain way, being in a certain mood, or listening to certain music does not make you Goth.

Modern Fashion & Music
Music was a large part of the Gothic culture in times past and this is still true today. The music scene has evolved greatly over the last 20 or 30 years and is still going in various guises.

Many of the early Goth bands were derived from old punk bands, or were born out of the ashes of the old punk genre. Many early Goth bands such as The Banshees could be considered punk, with their influenced roots spreading as far back to David Bowie and The underground. The term Goth wasn’t used then, but many bands were referred to as producing “gothic” music as early as 1979. [Given that the Punks were seen, by outsiders of that scene, as nasty, violent & unpleasant people - much like the ancient Goths were seen in their day – is this why that name was used?]

The post-punk scene had many bands, one in particular Adam and the Ants, who, at the time, had a very strong resemblance to the early Goth scene. Sex Gang Children and Southern Death Cult were labelled ‘positive punk’; they were the leaders of the positive punk scene and adopted the term Goth for their fans and members of a newly emerging subculture.

The first sign of actual Goth bands were Bauhaus, Siouxsie & The Banshees and UK Decay. It should be noted though, the manager of Joy Division once referred to them as “gothic” compared to the modern day mainstream bands, however the Goth scene really didn’t start to rise until 1981-1982, by which time Joy Division’s front man, Ian Curtis, was already dead. He had committed suicide in 1980.

Around the same time as Gothic was forming as an underground subculture, another separate, club manufactured culture, New Romantic, was growing in popularity and it is commonly mistaken as being considered part of the Goth subculture. New Romantic Scene was not part of the early Goth subculture, though the two were later merged, as the Gothic culture grew more popular. A popular New Romantic band at that time were The Cure, they were working around the New Romantic scene with their dark lyrics and music that fitted both the New Romantic and Goth scenes. It was their music & image that helped the merging of New Romantics into Goth scene.

Another band which also influenced early Goth fashion was Bauhaus, their look giving rise to the early Gothic styles. Siouxsie & The Banshees had a great influence to many up coming Goth bands and for many female singers. However, it was UK Decay who used the term “gothic” to describe the early movement.

Musically, popular bands are The Cure, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Joy Division, and The Sisters Of Mercy. 80’s Electronic bands like Depeche Mode & New Order are popular as well, as are many EBM bands. This is reflected in their dress style & taste in music; their fashion sense tends to be the more Victorian look of long material overcoats, frilly ruffle shirts, heeled leather boots, for the men and corsets, long flowing dresses, heeled shoes for the ladies [a popular look for the band The Sisters of Mercy]. Black & purples are common colours & satin, velvet, lace common materials. Make-up plays a part for both male & female, as doe’s jewellery. Rings, bracelets & necklaces tend to be silver or pewter, the crucifix is a common symbol worn.

However, the Cyber/Fetish Goth will listen to music generally much removed from the Romantic Goth. Here Electronic & Industrial Music reigns. Popular Bands are Absurd Minds, Tactical Sekt, Terminal Choice, VNV Nation, Assemblage23, Icon Of Coil, CombiChrist, XPQ-21, Cyborg Attack, Grendel, Hocico, and K.M.F.D.M. Synthpop bands like Beborn Beton, Covenant, And One, De/Vision are popular as well as other styles: Darkwave, Futurepop etc. In terms of clothing, Fetish Goths will tend to wear leather, PVC, fishnet, New Rock boots, or similar. The outfits tend to be bold & outlandish, and to outsiders can look more like a Halloween fancy dress party than anything else, with people wearing little PVC nurse uniforms, dressed as Angels, Fairies or Devils. Black & red are popular colours, as are neon colours. Hair & make up can be bold & generally is colourful. Cyber Goths will wear lots of leather, PVC, bondage pants, New Rock Boots, or similar and clothing with neon glostix interweaved into them. Cyberdog is one such label popularly worn. Many often have synthetic hair sculptures & colourful extensions or dreadfalls.

Pagan Goths are very diverse, [Celtic] Folk Music is very popular [see Middle Outer above] & often this is combined with the Metal genres to produce ‘Folk Metal’. Cruachan & Absu both base their lyrical themes around ancient Celtic myths & traditions. Musically, they blend Celtic Folk Music & Black Metal together. Finntroll, Vintersorg, Landvættir, Himinbjørg, Falkenbach & Isengaard, whose songs are based around Norse or Finnish myths/legends. Other bands that may interest Pagan Goths are Pagan Reign and Nocturnal Mortum, both from Russia, Pagan Reign base their lyrics around Paganism and Nocturnal Mortum base their lyrics around Old Russian myths & legends, whilst blending Russian Folk Music & Death Metal together. Nile is a Death Metal band that focuses on Ancient Egyptology & Egyptian music. Inkubus Sukkubus are a Pagan Rock band often associated with Pagan Goths.

Their dress style is harder to identify though black & purples feature a lot, as do long material coats, satin, velvet, similar to the Romantic Goth. Jewellery, however, is more Celtic in design & ankhs or Pentagrams are common symbols often worn. Some tend towards a more metal/Biker oriented fashion of black denims, band T-shirt & leather, possibly Biker style, jacket for the men, and corsets & black denims for the women. Men tend not to wear as much make-up as other Goths.

I would say that not all Pagan Goths would be so interested in the more Black Metal orientated music, but some may be given the mythological themes, many I daresay will prefer the more Gothic Metal of Nightwish or Tristania or the old style 80’s Gothic music associated with the Romantic Goths.

Rivethead/Industrial Culture
This is a completely separate and completely different Culture from the Gothic Culture. While the Gothic Culture tends to take a more [romantic], retrospective view of things, the Industrial & Rivethead Culture looks at the present & future. Themes can be split thus:

Heavy Industry
This looks toward the old Heavy Industries [for example: Shipbuilding, Steel & Ironworks and Railways] for inspiration. The imagery of this is the grey, cold, unforgiving, hard, bleak, decay [of old abandoned factories, rusting engines etc] and of the pollution caused by, and left afterwards, of these industries. It is the acceptance that everything in the world is not all colourful, friendly and cuddly. There is a sense of realism. A sense of the destruction man has caused to the planet. However, as well as those themes, there is also a recognition that even though in decay, these industries still survive & leave their mark on the present day world.

Cyber
The emphasis here is on the future and also, technology, computers, robots, outer space, Cyborgs, androids, aliens, man versus machine; machine controlling man; machines replacing man all together; synthetic being superior to natural. Those into the Cyber side of Industrial culture will most probably be big gamers as well, PC, X-box or PlayStation being preferred consoles – Role Playing Games, War games, World Domination Games being most popular, though there are various different types of Gamer.

Military/War
Certain Rivetheads have a big interest in the military, war, conflict [whether man v man, machine v machine or man v machine], annihilation, nihilism, death and destruction. They may also be gamers, liking Role Playing Games, War games, World Domination Games.

Synthetic [Beauty]
There is the belief, amongst many of synthetic perfection, man-made being better than natural, computer generated even better than man made, flawlessness, nothing natural, only cyber. Followers will most likely have body modifications, have synthetic hair pieces & dress using highly coloured or neon make up & accessories.

Rivethead Fashion:
The dress style of Rivetheads is inspired by military aesthetics, complemented by modern primitive body modification (tattoos, piercings and scarification) or borrowed visuals from Goths/Cybergoths (fetishism, morbid-themed jewellery and imagery, and black hair dye), as well as punk fashion elements such as the fanned Mohawk hairstyle. Below are some of the main characteristics of the Rivethead dress style.
~ Footwear:
Combat boots, Tanker boots, Jungle boots, knee-high military dress boots, Steel-toed Boots (such as Dr. Martens), Transmuters (or other platform boots), New Rocks, Gripfasts or Grinders.
~ Pants:
Cargo pants, Leather Pants, Bondage Pants or Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) pants; often but not always black or urban camo, usually tucked into boots, rolled at the bottom cuffs or as cut-off shorts.
~ Tops:
Band T-shirts, Black Wife beaters, Flight or Leather Jackets, [SDL] Bulletproof vests or Trench Coats.
~ Hair:
Shaved bald, partially shaved (undercut), crew cut , Mohawk, Bi-hawk, Tri-hawk, Deadhawk or, long hair, à la 1990s Trent Reznor.
~ Headgear and Face-gear:
Masks are popular, such as respirators or gasmasks and helmets (usually in band promo shots, rather than as street-ware.) Welding goggles or flight/military-style goggles are also popular.
~Accessories:
Leather gloves (sometimes fingerless); Wool or cotton fingerless gloves; BDU-style belts; spiked or studded belts; spiked or studded chokers/collars; dog tags; jewellery that incorporates industrial elements such as nails, screws, cogs, gears, computer parts or other hardware.

Female rivets may play along the femme fatale look with sexuality as power. Common are short skirts, military wear, knee-high stiletto boots, vinyl, leather or PVC bustiers and corsets, and lip gloss with less makeup than Goths. Colourful synthetic hair falls or hair extensions and colourful vinyl are seen, but are more associated with Cybergoths.

Industrial Music:
Industrial is a hard genre to pin down, it is the most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music, Industrial was initially a blend of avant-garde electronics experiments (tape music, musique concrète, white noise, synthesizers, sequencers, etc.) and punk provocation.

As Industrial evolved, its avant-garde influences became far less important than its pounding, relentless, jackhammer beats, which helped transform it into a darker alternative to the hedonism of mainstream dance music. Industrial's trademark sound was harsh and menacing, but its rage was subordinate to the intentionally mechanical, numbingly repetitive qualities of the music, which fit the lyrics' themes of alienation and dehumanisation quite well.

Many Industrial artists, in a bid to progress their music & explore other avenues, have borrowed characteristics from other genres and likewise artists of other genres have borrowed heavily from Industrial, making the boundaries of what is [or isn’t] Industrial very fluid & hard to define.

A substantial number of industrial artists chose to remain underground. The first group of industrial bands, England's Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire, and Germany's Einstürzende Neubauten, were initially as much about beyond-edgy performance art as they were music.

The second generation of industrial artists, including Skinny Puppy, Front 242, and Nitzer Ebb, added pummeling dance beats to their predecessors' confrontational sounds, for a sub-style often referred to as EBM [Electronic Body Music] (centred around labels like Wax Trax), or as Industrial-Dance.

In the early '90s, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails & KMFDM and later on, Rammstein, took their variations on industrial to wider alt-rock and metal audiences added metal-guitar riffs, which helped Ministry break through to a wider audience in the late '80s and early '90s; similarly, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor added more traditional song structures, and made his own persona the focal point, giving the music a rare human presence and becoming a star in the process.

This more widely appealing strain of industrial continued to influence alternative metal throughout the '90s. Still, after industrial metal began to fade, a near-exclusively electronic form of industrial-dance continued to thrive as an uncompromisingly underground style, with many artists coming from the U.S. and Germany.

Industrial-Dance:
During the 1980s, industrial music progressed from being an obscure, experimentalist style to a position where it was quite popular and straight-ahead for a growing audience unenthused by limp-wristed alternative music as well as cock rock and heavy metal.

Early on distinguished by the term "electronic body music", and later, “Second Generation Industrial”, several artists, such as Front 242, Nitzer Ebb & Skinny Puppy, gained significant airplay in clubs. By the 1990s, industrial had split along a guitar/electronics divide, with the former evolving into Industrial Metal & the latter into Industrial-Dance, usually carrying on the tradition of electronic body music. America's Cleopatra Records featured the most Industrial Dance acts, including Leætherstrip, Spahn Ranch, and Die Krupps.

From the ‘90’s a rash of bands, mainly from Germany, but from other European countries as well, took Industrial in a new direction, with bands such as Funker Vogt, :wumpscut:, Das Ich, CombiChrist, Velvet Acid Christ, Laibach, Rottersand & numerous others, are all part of the modern Industrial soundscape, helping to carry the style on into the years to come. As within Metal music, Industrial, or elements thereof, have been absorbed into E.B.M. & its various sub-styles & sub-genres and has filtered through them and blurred the edges of the genre, it is very difficult to determine what pure Industrial & what isn’t.

Cyber:
Cyber Music is where Industrial, Goth & Rave music [Including Dark Trance, Dark Techno, Psy-Trance] all meet. Those listening to this genre are most commonly referred to as Cyber Goths, or sometimes Gravers [Gothic Ravers]. Starting around 2000 onwards with the likes of VnV Nation & Apoptygma Berzerk the genre grew & developed and now bands such as Empusa, Stahlmantel, X-r[x], Infected Mushroom, PsilophyB, Hypercomplex, [Ano]-Wrex-iYa, NorthBorne and Xotox, are all doing their bit to keep Cyber moving forward.

Industrial Metal:
While pure Industrial takes its primary cues from experimental music and electronic dance, Industrial Metal makes the distorted noise of electric guitars a crucial part of the music. Some Industrial Metal bands base their songs around metal-style guitar riffs using synths & samples to enhance & embelish the more traditional Metal sound [for example: Fear Factory & Nailbomb], while others use the instrument more for the harsh, abrasive textures it can create [for example: Axis of Perdition].

It should also be noted that, Industrial Metal spans all the metal genres - from the Industrial Thrash of Nailbomb to Industrial Black of Axis of Perdition to the hyperfast Industrial Death/Grind of The Berzerker to the Industrial Gothic Metal of Dr Death or the Industrial Death-Black of The Kovenant. Thus I feel, Industrial Metal isn’t entirely a stand alone genre or sub-grenre of Metal, the same as the likes of Death or Thrash are, it is more of a style which has filtered through the Metal genres.

Either way, Industrial Metal generally possesses greater aggressive force than straight-ahead industrial, which helped the style cross over to metal and alternative audiences accustomed to guitar-driven music. Industrial Metal lyrics also mirror the darkness and aggression of standard heavy metal, although the sensibility is filtered through the personal alienation of punk and alternative rock.

Whether its rage is turned inward at the self or outward at society, Industrial Metal is unremittingly bleak and angst-ridden, using its pounding walls of noise as expressions of near-hopeless alienation from the rest of the world. Ministry was the first band to popularize Industrial Metal in the late '80s, basing their signature grind on countless repetitions of jackhammer guitar riffs, as well as electronics, samples, and distorted vocals; however, it was Nine Inch Nails that really brought the sound to the mainstream during the early '90s, thanks to Trent Reznor's flair for melodic songwriting and multi-layered production.

In the wake of NIN's success, a number of similar-sounding bands popped up on alternative radio, and toward the end of the decade, a number of popular alternative metal bands appropriated industrial metal's electronic production touches into their hybrid of aggressive music styles.

Bands which would these days be included in the Industrial, Industrial-Dance [& Electro-Industrial] genres would include: Cyborg Attack, Absurd Minds, Tactical Sekt, Grendel, Laibach, Suicide Commando, Funker Vogt, God Module, Terminal Choice, :wumpscut:, Project Pitchfork, Razed In Black, Das Ich, Velvet Acid Christ, Front 242, Frontline Assembly, Rottersand, Klutæ, KMFDM, Hocico, Lex Decimate, Einstürzende Neubauten and many others…